At least 27 killed in Gaza City after fresh evacuation orders

Egypt says working on 60-day Gaza ceasefire; US pressure to end Gaza war increases

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Israel carried out dozens of air strikes on Gaza on Monday, targeting Gaza City and its eastern districts, after ordering fresh evacuations, which have raised concerns of a renewed offensive.

At least 27 Palestinians were killed across the enclave, including 10 people seeking food aid who were struck while gathering near a distribution warehouse in Gaza City's Zeitoun neighbourhood, according to Gaza health officials.

Al-Ahli Hospital confirmed the deaths and said others were wounded in the blast.

People collect their belongings from the rubble at Yafa School after the Israeli attack. Photo: Anadolu Agency

Two more Palestinians were reportedly shot and killed near an aid distribution point in southern Rafah, medical staff at Nasser Medical Complex told Al Jazeera.

Among the buildings hit was the Yafa School in the Tuffah neighbourhood of eastern Gaza City, which was destroyed in a direct strike. The school had also been sheltering displaced families, according to local sources.

Read: Turkey spy chief talks Gaza truce with Hamas leader

Yafa School is located in the Tuffah neighbourhood in eastern Gaza City. Photo: Anadolu Agency

Israel intensified its assault on northern Gaza after issuing forced evacuation orders. Photo: Anadolu Agency

Ceasefire in Gaza

Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, who is visiting Washington, DC on Monday, is expected to face pressure to reach a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement in the Gaza Strip, according to reports in the Israeli press.

The Times of Israel cited sources as saying that the remaining sticking points in achieving a ceasefire include the Palestinian group Hamas’s demand for a permanent end to the war, as opposed to Israel’s efforts to secure a temporary ceasefire that leaves open the option for it to resume fighting.

Read more: Israeli soldiers ordered to shoot at unarmed aid seekers in Gaza: report

They also said that Hamas is demanding a return to old mechanisms for distributing humanitarian aid or the establishment of a new system to replace the current one managed by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a proposition backed by Arab mediators.

Israel says GHF, an Israeli and US-backed private mechanism, is essential in preventing the diversion of aid by Hamas, but it has forced Gazans to walk long distances in order to pick up food while also crossing Israeli army lines, coming under deadly fire on a near-daily basis, the Times of Israel reported.

Israel's Haaretz newspaper, citing senior White House officials, reported that senior officials from US President Donald Trump's team will pressure Dermer to reach an agreement on “ending the attacks on Gaza and returning the remaining prisoners”.

It was also reported that US officials would tell Dermer that Israel's insistence on “eliminating Hamas” would be left for the future.

Moreover, Egypt’s foreign minister said Sunday evening that his country is working on a new Gaza deal that includes a 60-day ceasefire in exchange for the release of some Israeli hostages and the rapid entry of humanitarian aid into the besieged enclave.

“We’re working toward a durable solution and a permanent ceasefire,” Badr Abdelatty said in a televised interview with the local OnTV television.

He said the proposal is a joint effort by Egypt, Qatar and the US and represents “a first step” toward a sustainable ceasefire.

“What’s on the table now is a 60-day truce in exchange for the release of a number of Israeli hostages and the swift delivery of aid to Gaza, including medical supplies,” he added.

This move, the top diplomat said, “would create momentum to move toward a lasting ceasefire, eventually leading to the implementation of the Jan. 19 agreement”.

“There is an American vision and understanding of the importance of including guarantees in any upcoming agreement to ensure the sustainability of a ceasefire,” he said.

Egypt, Qatar and the US brokered on January 19 a three-phased ceasefire deal between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. The agreement was intended to ultimately bring an end to the Israeli genocidal war in Gaza.